| Backbone |
Just like the human backbone carries signals to many smaller nerves in the body, a network backbone carries data to... |
| Backside Bus |
There are two types of buses that carry data to and from a computer's CPU. They are the frontside bus and backside... |
| Backup |
Backup is the most important computer term you should know.
A backup is a copy of one or more files created as an... |
| Bandwidth |
Bandwidth refers to how much data you can send through a network or modem connection. It is usually measured in bits... |
| Banner Ad |
Whether you like it or not, much of the Web is run by advertising. Just like television or radio, websites can offer... |
| Base Station |
The term "base station" was first used to refer to the towers you see on the side of the road that relay cell phone... |
| Baseband |
A baseband signal is an original transmission signal that has not be modulated, or has been demodulated to its original... |
| BASIC |
Stands for "Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code." BASIC is a computer programming language that was... |
| Batch File |
A batch file is a type of script that contains a list of commands. These commands are executed in sequence and can be... |
| Batch Process |
As most computer users know, some computing tasks can be tedious and repetitive. Fortunately, if a task is indeed... |
| Baud |
Contrary to popular belief, baud is not a direct measurement of data transfer speed, but instead it measures how many... |
| Bcc |
Stands for "Blind Carbon Copy." When you send an e-mail to only one person, you type the recipient's address in the... |
| Bespoke |
The term "bespoke" comes from England where it originally referred to custom or tailor-made clothing. In recent years... |
| Beta Software |
Before a commercial software program is released to the public, it usually goes through a "beta" phase. During this... |
| Binary |
Binary is a two-digit (Base-2) numerical system, which computers use to store data and compute functions. The reason... |
| Bing |
Bing is a search engine created by Microsoft. It evolved from "MSN Search," which was later renamed "Windows Live... |
| Biometrics |
Biometrics refers to technologies used to detect and recognize human physical characteristics. In the IT world... |
| BIOS |
Stands for "Basic Input/Output System." Most people don't need to ever mess with the BIOS on a computer, but it can be... |
| Bit |
The computer term "bit" comes from the phrase "Binary DigIT," which is different than that thing you put around a... |
| Bitmap |
Most images you see on your computer are composed of bitmaps. A bitmap is a map of dots, or bits (hence the name... |
| Bitrate |
Bitrate, as the name implies, describes the rate at which bits are transferred from one location to another. In other... |
| BitTorrent |
BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing protocol designed to reduce the bandwidth required to transfer files... |
| Blob |
If you're like me, you picture a blob as a enigmatic green object that lacks a defined shape or size. In the computer... |
| Blog |
Short for "Web Log," this term refers to a list of journal entries posted on a Web page. Anybody who knows how to... |
| Blu-ray |
Blu-ray is an optical disc format such as CD and DVD. It was developed for recording and playing back high-definition... |
| Bluetooth |
This wireless technology enables communication between Bluetooth-compatible devices. It is used for short-range... |
| BMP |
Short for "Bitmap." It can be pronounced as "bump," "B-M-P," or simply a "bitmap image." The BMP format is a commonly... |
| Bookmark |
Similar to a real-life bookmark, an Internet bookmark acts as a marker for a Web site. (In Internet Explorer, they're... |
| Boolean |
This is the logic that computers use to determine if a statement is true or false. There are 4 main boolean operators... |
| Boot |
When you boot a football, you kick it really far. When you boot a computer, you simply turn it on. Kicking your... |
| Boot Disk |
A boot disk is actually not a computer disk in the shape of a boot. If it was, most disk drives would have a difficult... |
| Boot Sector |
A boot sector is the first section of a hard drive or other data storage media. It contains the master boot record... |
| Boot Sequence |
Each time a computer boots up, it goes through an initial series of processes. This sequence of events is aptly named... |
| Bot |
This is an automated software program that can execute certain commands when it receives a specific input (like a... |
| Botnet |
A botnet is a network of computers that are controlled from a single source. While some botnets are used for... |
| Bounce |
The term "bounce" has several different IT related meanings, yet none of them include bouncy balls. The most common... |
| bps |
Stands for "Bits Per Second." (The "b" is lowercase because it stands for bits, not bytes.) Bits per second is the... |
| Bridge |
When a road needs to extend across a river or valley, a bridge is built to connect the two land masses. Since the... |
| Broadband |
This refers to high-speed data transmission in which a single cable can carry a large amount of data at once. The most... |
| Browser |
You are probably using a browser to read this right now. A Web browser, often just called a "browser," is the program... |
| Buffer |
A buffer contains data that is stored for a short amount of time, typically in the computer's memory (RAM). The... |
| Bug |
In the computer world, a bug is an error in a software program. It may cause a program to unexpectedly quit or behave... |
| Burn |
When you "burn a disc," you write data on it. If you were taking an SAT test, the analogy would look something like... |
| Bus |
While the wheels on the bus may go "round and round," data on a computer's bus goes up and down. Each bus inside a... |
| Byte |
A byte is a set of 8 bits that represent a single character in the computer's memory. Do not confuse this term with... |
